Chris' journey to end his multiple sclerosis by undergoing a hematopoietic stem cell transplantation at the Ottawa General Hosptial. This blog will show his entire treatment and all the highs and lows along the way.

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Saturday, March 3, 2012

This winter Chris has been really dedicated to improving his strength and balance, so that his EDSS score is even lower at his next appointment.

Chris accepting a volunteer award from the Multiple
Sclerosis Society of Ottawa for his being one of the
top five fundraisers.

We have joined a new gym and are now making an effort to go four or five times a week. I have even convinced Chris to take a yoga class with me to increase his core strength and balance. Before we started, Chris was notorious for losing his balance when doing simple things, even when turning his head to quickly. Now, he is holding tree pose with the best of them (he is probably not going to appreciated me sharing this).

The biggest improvement we have seen has been Chris' skating abilities. Chris, a stereotypical Canadian male, grew up playing hockey for 10 years. And after he stopped playing in a league, he was always game to play every opportunity he had. Chris even taught me to skate as one of our first dates.

However, about four years ago, we started to see Chris' skating abilities deteriorate. The last time he had tried, he fell (hard) multiple times due to his weak ankle strength and poor balance. He had to hang on to me for support (a total role reversal) and eventually gave up and swapped his skates for boots.

Two weeks ago, since Chris was finding it easier to bike and ride the elliptical, we decided to take a trip to the local arena and Chris skated again for the first time. It was a HUGE improvement. While we are not contacting the Toronto Maple Leafs (yet), Chris was doing laps all on his own and looking strong. The best part was how happy he looked. Seriously, it was like he had been drafted by the NHL. I had to convince him that I was near frozen, before he agreed to go.

The other big update is that we have signed up again to do the Ottawa MS Walk to raise money for the MS Society of Canada. We did the Walk last year, and our team placed fifth overall for team fundraising. We are trying to do even better this year, with a goal of $10,000. It's a huge goal, but after seeing the difference that the MS Society is making in Chris' life, we are completely dedicated to helping improve the lives of others with MS.